While in St. Petersburg they are just going to combine the dance theater and the guardians of the law, in Charleroi a similar project has already been implemented - albeit on a more modest scale. The reconstructed 19th century cavalry barracks complex housed the city's main police station, the Charleroi Danses ballet center, the exhibition halls of the local art museum, as well as a new square and a diner accessible to everyone, where, according to the plan of architects Ateliers Jean Nouvel and their Belgian partners MDW architecture, Police officers, ballet dancers, employees of nearby offices, students of local schools and all other townspeople must meet.
The police received two historic barracks buildings, located at an angle to each other, as well as a completely new 75-meter tower (20 floors), lined with blue bricks - to match the uniforms of Belgian law enforcement officers. Its layout has been made flexible so that it is easy to adjust the purpose of the premises over time. In addition to the control room, crisis center, meeting room, etc., there is a "prestigious" meeting room on the top floor, from where you can enjoy panoramic views of the city.
The tower with a reinforced concrete bearing structure and a wooden façade at its core meets the “passive house” standard (12 kWh / m2 / year), and the reconstructed barracks - “low energy consumption” (less than 35 kWh / m2 / year). The former stables included in them housed the exhibition halls of the city museum, as well as an event space and a departmental dining room. In total, the police department received 30,727 m2 of space - not counting the 11,431 m2 of underground parking, but including the museum halls.
For the needs of Charleroi Danses, an arena was adapted, on the roof of which a bright red foyer with a terrace was erected. Ballet studios are located inside and outside the building, as well as completely new living quarters for guest artists. Adjacent to the arena is the aforementioned "meeting place" - a diner.
The center of the complex is a pedestrian square paved with bricks - the main material of the project. The red brick pavement, echoing the historical buildings, at the foot of the tower is replaced by blue - in the color of the facades of this visible symbol of the project from afar.